Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Benin
Benin: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) was 18.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Benin, 1960–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Benin stood at 18.6%.
That represents a change of up 19.1% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Benin peaked at 35.4% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1960.
That places Benin 157th out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.5% | — |
| 1961 | 10.1% | +1803.6% |
| 1962 | 8.0% | -20.4% |
| 1963 | 12.1% | +50.0% |
| 1964 | 10.9% | -9.9% |
| 1965 | 10.9% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 10.2% | -6.7% |
| 1967 | 12.9% | +26.6% |
| 1968 | 14.0% | +8.4% |
| 1969 | 15.0% | +7.2% |
| 1970 | 14.8% | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 20.7% | +40.0% |
| 1972 | 20.5% | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 19.4% | -5.7% |
| 1974 | 22.3% | +15.3% |
| 1975 | 25.0% | +12.1% |
| 1976 | 25.9% | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 30.8% | +18.8% |
| 1978 | 30.2% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 24.4% | -19.1% |
| 1980 | 20.2% | -17.4% |
| 1981 | 35.4% | +75.5% |
| 1982 | 31.8% | -10.2% |
| 1983 | 23.9% | -24.8% |
| 1984 | 24.3% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 25.8% | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 21.7% | -15.8% |
| 1987 | 17.2% | -20.9% |
| 1988 | 19.2% | +11.8% |
| 1989 | 12.8% | -33.2% |
| 1990 | 13.3% | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 11.9% | -10.8% |
| 1992 | 25.3% | +112.6% |
| 1993 | 14.8% | -41.6% |
| 1994 | 21.3% | +44.5% |
| 1995 | 28.7% | +34.7% |
| 1996 | 23.2% | -19.2% |
| 1997 | 26.4% | +13.8% |
| 1998 | 26.0% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 22.9% | -12.0% |
| 2000 | 15.9% | -30.5% |
| 2001 | 16.8% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 17.0% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 16.6% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 14.5% | -12.5% |
| 2005 | 13.5% | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 14.3% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 19.4% | +36.2% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 15.8% | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 22.2% | +40.0% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | -19.7% |
| 2012 | 21.1% | +18.7% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | +14.2% |
| 2014 | 29.2% | +20.9% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | -23.6% |
| 2016 | 21.6% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | +17.5% |
| 2018 | 23.5% | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 20.4% | -13.0% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | -16.7% |
| 2021 | 18.0% | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 20.9% | +15.8% |
| 2023 | 19.8% | -4.9% |
| 2024 | 15.6% | -21.2% |
| 2025 | 18.6% | +19.1% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 18.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 28.5%, 65% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 18.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.0%, 72% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Benin changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | +1803.6% | 0.5% | 10.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.4% | 0.5% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 23.4% | 14.8% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.2% | 12.8% | 35.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.4% | 11.9% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 13.5% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.8% | 17.8% | 29.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.3% | 15.6% | 20.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More economy & growth data for Benin
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 17.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.03 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -3.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0103 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 17.01 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -8.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0075 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 12.42 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -0.7436 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Benin?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Benin was 18.6% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 35.4% in 1981.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1960.
- How does Benin rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- Benin ranks 157th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Value of a country’s total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP).